Fall 2011 Midwest Skier Magazine Available
Midwest Skier magazine is a bi-annual publication for ski & snowboard clubs, their members and active outdoor winter sport enthusiasts. Each edition includes destination profiles on top ski destinations worldwide, ski club profiles and news and updates from the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council. View our latest edition below!
Features
International: Ski Chile
West: California’s Mammoth Mountain
Midwest: Lutsen Mountains
Departments
President’s Message
Alpine Racing Schedule
CMSC Board of Directors
Regional VP’s and Their Clubs
Club Directory
Associate Members Directory
Trips By Destination
Check out all of the Articles by downloading the free PDF or viewing the flipbook below!
Download the Entire Article and Read all the News
May Midwest Skier Magazine Digital Flipbook Available
Midwest Skier magazine is a bi-annual publication for ski & snowboard clubs, their members and active outdoor winter sport enthusiasts. Each edition includes destination profiles on top ski destinations worldwide, ski club profiles and news and updates from the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council. View our latest edition below!
Features
Chicago Week 2011 in Telluride
Chicago Week 2011 in Steamboat
CMSC Winter Carnival 2011
Bad Gastein, Austria
Departments
President’s Message
Summer Club Activites
CMSC Board of Directors
Destination Reports
Europe: Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France
Midwest: Alpine Valley Resort
West: Big Sky, Montana
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Tired of Hitting the Slopes Alone?
December 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Featured, October 2010
By Keith L. Fanta, President, Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council
Years ago I found myself in a unique situation where I loved to ski, but none of my friends were skiers. I managed to get out to the slopes, but being alone I knew I was missing something. Skiing isn’t a team sport, but I could see that it had an important social aspect. Then I discovered my first ski club (in the days before boarding became popular, they were known only as ski clubs).
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Come On In, The Water’s Fine
December 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Featured, October 2010
By Rick Heinz, Editor, Midwest Skier Magazine
While representing my club at ski and snowboard shows, I’d frequently be asked by other people in their 20s, “What ages are your club members?” The truth they’re trying to dig up is that the majority of members are baby boomers. It is true for just about all the clubs, but it is not a reason to shy away.
Ski and snowboard clubs might not appear to be the idyllic social outlets for us millenials, but if you’re passionate about the sports, it is really the best way to enjoy them aside from moving out West. Clubs do all the hard work for you by getting lift tickets, plane tickets, lodging and ground transportation. They also save you money by taking advantage of group rates. Since clubs aren’t around to make a profit, the savings are passed down to the members.
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Getting a Jump Start
April 29, 2010 by Justine Mulattieri
Filed under Featured
Glasder "Mid-flight"
Being one of the Norge Ski Club younger members only serves to make Mike Glasder’s career that much more impressive. The 21-year old ski jump champion can already include being medaled at the Junior Olympics to his impressive skiing resume.
After graduating high school, Glasder moved out of state and began practicing two times a day five to six days a week, readying himself for a stellar jumping career. A member of the Norge Ski Club of Fox River grove, IL since the age of five, Glaser has consistently displayed the iron-will and dedication necessary to becoming a world champion. To read more about Mike Glaser’s career visit: Jump Start
Spring 2010 Midwest Skier Magazine
The spring 2010 edition of Midwest Skier magazine has been released, with updates on top ski & snowboard clubs throughout the Midwest, plus great destination articles on worldwide ski & snowboard destinations. Don’t miss the article about potential Olympian ski jumper Mike Glasder.
Read the entire edition in digital page flip format.
Blind Skiiers Tackle the Slopes in Park City
The American Blind Skiing Foundation (ABSF) matches blind and visually impaired skiers with sighted sited guides. This year they took to the slopes for thrilling downhill ski in Park City Utah. Read more about the trip and other upcoming ABSF events here.
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CMSC Europe Trip to Target Sölden in Austria’s Tyrolean Alps
By Bill Gleason
Located approximately half way between Innsbruck and St. Anton, high in the mountains of the Ötztal Valley, the longest side valley off the main Inn Valley, you will find Sölden. Highly favored by the Europeans, but largely unknown by Americans, Sölden is Austria’s largest developed area of glacier skiing.
With reliable snow cover, two glaciers, three peaks above 10,000 feet and 60% snowmaking, good skiing is guaranteed. It is a big resort with a vertical drop of over 6,000 feet. You’ll find an extensive network of slopes for the adventuresome intermediate, plus numerous slopes for the beginner and expert (not the same slopes). Also, we intend to ski one day at the neighboring ski resort of Obergurgl/Hochgurgl just up the valley.
There are numerous mountain huts for lunches and breaks for morning coffee and afternoon tea, all in magnificent settings.
For the non-skier, or those who wish to take some days off from skiing for sightseeing, Innsbruck is a short transfer and train ride away. Options for these side trips include a visit to the old mountaineering village of Vent or hot thermal spa at Langenfeld.
Sölden is also famous for its après ski parties and nightlife. However, this is just one of the many reasons to go on CMSC’s European Trip this year. Here are a few more reasons:
1. Two ski resorts, Sölden and Obergurgl/Hochgurgl in one ski trip.
2. High elevation and 60% of slopes with snowmaking equipment guarantee snow.
3. The “Big 3.”. (You’ll have to go to know!)
4. The “Big 3 Rallye.” (Ditto!)
5. The mountain huts.
6. The après ski.
7. The nightlife. (If you can handle it!)
8. Night skiing. (Ditto!)
9. The Rodelbahn. (What’s a Rodel?)
10. Most people have never heard of Sölden and nobody you know has ever been there!
Crested Butte
By Randy Mink
Crested Butte Mountain Resort is moving forward with improvement projects for the 2008-2009 winter season after experiencing its snowiest winter on record last season, with a total of 421 inches of snow and an unprecedented 100-inch base on closing day. New this winter are increased airline service and facility upgrades.
American Airlines will add direct service from Chicago to complement its current Dallas daily service, and United will expand service with three flights daily from Denver, connecting to hundreds of flights worldwide.
After months of research and development, Crested Butte has a new brand positioning expressed in the tagline “Inspire your Passion.” The promise of “inspiring your passion for adventure” and its implications will be seen resort-wide. Beginning with a new marketing and advertising campaign, the brand will also be reflected in various areas of the resort, from signage to employee uniforms.
The kids ski school will see the greatest physical transformation. The new Kids Base Camp program will engage kids through exploration and adventure on and off the mountain. From a new entrance to remodeled kid-friendly bathrooms and play areas, the space will be completely revamped.
The Treasury Center building in the base area will be redesigned to improve a number of guest services. The Crested Butte Ski and Snowboard Rental Shop will be moved to a slope-side location. The rental shop and a new retail store will include top-of-the line rental skis and snowboards.
The rental shop’s former location will be transformed into a “Pizza Zone.” Fresh, pizza, beverages and snacks will be available in the lower level of the Treasury Center to eat on the run or to sit and enjoy. The Outpost building in the base area will be redesigned and opened as a day lodge.
Also new this winter will be a central ski valet and overnight ski, snowboard and boot valet service. The service is free to all hotel guests and to others for a nightly fee and will feature ski-in ski-out access. The ski valet service pampers hotel guests from lobby check-in to hotel check-out with seamless handling of ski and snowboard equipment.
The Lodge at Mountaineer Square, Elevation Hotel & Spa and the Grand Lodge were recently accepted into the prestigious Preferred Hotels group. Elevation Hotel will complete a $25-million remodel that will include all 260 luxury rooms, the spa and fitness center and new Atmosphere Restaurant & Bar.
Snow Igloos, Crested Butte’s fun addition to the mountain experience, will sprout up around the resort for après-ski cocktails and adventure play areas for the kids. The solid snow structures will be at Kids Base Camp and mid-mountain outside the Ice Bar Restaurant.
On-mountain improvements will include expanded terrain off the Headwall lift into the Teocalli bowl area in what is known as Teo-2 and Teo-2.5, adding expert terrain to the mix. Crested Butte’s commitment to providing world-class terrain park and pipe facilities continues with new features in the DC Terrain Park and the addition of a new intermediate terrain park.
Contact: (800) 810-7669; skicb.com.
Killington Resort
By Andrew Horn
Vermont’s Killington Resort is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and celebrates its 50th birthday this December. Serving as many as 17,000 skiers a day, the resort has 150 trails and 25 lifts across seven mountain peaks. The main peak, Killington Peak, is the second highest in Vermont at 4,241 feet and has the second greatest vertical drop (3,050 feet) in the East.
With an average annual snowfall of 250 inches and a skiable area of 1,215 acres, the resort has become a central destination for skiers. Killington’s 70 miles of diverse terrain offer skiers and riders of all ability levels a choice of wide-open courses, narrow New England runs, moguls, steeps and 13 tree skiing areas. Terrain parks at Bear Mountain provide freeskiers and riders opportunities for jibbing and jumping, including The Stash and a 430-foot- long, Olympic-size Superpipe with 22-foot walls.
The resort has continuously grown over the years and will expand even more with a series of improvements costing $8.4 million. Such upgrades include the new Skye Peak Express, ski trails, efficiency upgrades to the world’s most extensive snowmaking system and expanded environmental programs.
Skye Peak Express replaces Skye Peak Quad, reducing ride time from 14 minutes to less than five, allowing more access to Bear Mountain and cruising trails such as Skyeburt, Cruise Control and Needle’s Eye. One of only four in the world, The Stash is an all-natural terrain park with 34 features, including tree jibs, road jumps and log slides. The new Magic Carpet replaces the F-10 Poma lift, providing first-time skiers with a more pleasant uphill experience. Trails will be reconfigured, ensuring uninterrupted skiing and riding. Improvements to the snowmaking system increase efficiency and production while taking steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and become increasingly environmentally friendly.
There also are numerous off-mountain activities in which visitors can engage, including dog sledding, cross country skiing, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and ice skating. Summer options include an 18-hole championship golf course, Kona Mountain Bike Park with more than 45 miles of trails and Pico Mountain Adventure Center with alpine slides, climbing walls and miniature golf. Offering more than 100 restaurants and bars and shopping options, Killington is one of the top resorts in the Northeast for entertainment and skiing.
While Snowshed, Rams Head and Sunrise Mountain are mainly for beginners, Skye Peak and Snowdon Mountain provide a variety of terrain and trails that are suitable for a wide range of abilities. Bear Mountain has a very steep double black diamond mogul run, Devil’s Fiddle, and a superpipe. Killington Peak has numerous double black diamond trails in addition to a few easier connecting trails. Pico Mountain is located on a separate mountain away from the rest of the resort, but work is being done to connect the mountain to the resort with lifts and trails.
There are approximately 120 inns, lodges and condos at Killington. Killington Peak’s summit has an indoor restaurant, while the Peak Restaurant is serviced by a gondola lift, allowing non-skiers to dine with the added cost of a ride fee.
Contact: 800-621-6867, killington.com.
New & Noteworthy: East
Maine
Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Resort in Maine’s Carrabassett Valley is investing $5 million in increasing snowmaking output and efficiency and improving the base area appeal. A significant portion of the $5 million will go to upgrading the snowmaking system, growing Sugarloaf’s water pumping capacity by nearly 25 percent and adding efficient, environmentally-friendly fan guns. Additional improvements include new mountain signage, new lift and ski patrol cabins and base lodge features. Contact: 800-843-5623, sugarloaf.com
New Hampshire
Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire is undergoing extensive renovations to bring this historic resort into the future. Plans include restoring The Donald Ross Mount Washington Golf Course, adding 15,000 square feet of meeting space and constructing a 25,000 square-foot spa. Rated one of the “Top 10 Resorts Your Kids Will Love” by SKI Magazine, Mount Washington Resort offers the most ski and snowboard terrain in New Hampshire in addition to one of the most extensive cross country ski networks in New England. Contact: 800-314-1752, mountwashingtonresort.com.
The New England Ski Museum in Franconia Notch State Park tells the history of skiing through artifacts and vintage films shown continuously in the theater. A display on alpine skis follows their development from a pair of primitive wooden slats with leather toe straps. Located next to Cannon Mountain Tramway, the museum is one of only four USSA-recognized museums in the U.S. and the only one in the East. Contact: 603-823-7177, skimuseum.org.
New York
Lake Placid, the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, offers several attractions that recall the glory of the Games held in the Adirondacks. The Olympic Center, with four operating rinks for skating and hockey, has the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Museum. One arena is named for Olympic coach Herb Brooks, who led the unheralded 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to its miraculous defeat of the Soviet Union and ultimately a gold medal. Also at the center, a virtual reality experience simulates a bobsled ride from the driver’s point of view, alpine skiing, ice hockey as the goalie and ski jumping from a 12-meter tower.
The actual tower can be seen during a visit to the Olympic Jumping Complex, where an observation deck accessible by elevator or chairlift affords a sky-high perspective on the art of the ski jump. You might see the nation’s finest take to the air during Nordic jumping competitions throughout the summer and winter.
The Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, a winter sports haven, offers tours, bobsled rides and a chance to test your marksmanship skills with .22 rifles. The cross country ski area offers more than 32 miles of groomed trails. Contact: orda.org.
Vermont
Okemo Mountain Resort is creating an array of innovations. New trails add eight acres to the resort. One of the new trails measures 2,600 feet and has a vertical drop of 850 feet. Okemo is updating its snowmaking system, making them more efficient and lessens energy consumption. New loading carpets reduce lift-line lengths, minimize starts and stops, reduce ride time and improve overall lift capacity. Contact: 800-786-5366, okemo.com.
